Ball return



Nov. 13., 1962 R. w. LEV MIEUX BALL RETURN 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed May 17, 1960 Nov. 13, 1962 R. w. LE MIEUX BALL RETURN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 17, 1960 United States Patent 3,063,717 BALL RETURN Robert W. Le Mienx, Fruitport, Mich, assignor to Brunswick Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 17, 1966, Ser. No. 29,688 7 Claims. (Cl. 273-4-7) This invention relates to bowling ball return systems and particularly to a subway ball return.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a new and improved ball return system of the type described.

A more specific object is to provide a new and improved ball return system for conveying balls from the pit end of a bowling alley to the bowlers end of the alley including a hanging track mounted for limited movement laterally as balls roll therealong, thereby to absorb vibrations and reduce noise.

Other objects and advantages will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating a portion of a ball return system adjacent the pit end of a bowling alley;

FIG. 1B is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating that portion of the ball return system adjacent the bowlers end of a bowling alley;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partly broken away, and taken at about the line 2-2 of FIG. 113;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view through the ball return system between two adjacent bowling alleys, the view being taken approximately at the line 3-3 of FIG. 1A; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken about the line 4-4 of FIG. 13.

While an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms and it should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, the invention is illustrated in an environment including a pair of adjacent bowling alleys as illustrated at it} and 11 each including substantially conventional gutters at opposite sides thereof as illustrated at 12 and 13. The alley proper in each case is comprised of a plurality of individual side by side laminations as at 15, suitably secured together to provide a smooth upper surface along which a ball may be rolled. The laminations 15 are preferably supported by means which may be described as a subfloor including a sheet as at 16 and transverse leveling strips 17 therebeneath. The subfloor is mounted on a support including parallel longitudinal stringers as at 13 and transverse sleepers as at 19 therebeneath.

Each alley terminates at the rear end of an installation in a surface adapted to support a complement of pins as at 25, set either by hand or by automatic pinsetter, and beyond the end a pit in conventional form as at 26 between kickbacks provided at opposite sides of the pit as at 27. It is contemplated that the rear end of a ball return track according to the present invention would be positioned atop a kickback as at 27 where balls may be delivered to the track by a suitable guide means as at 22. The track extends forwardly toward the bowlers approach end of the alley to a ball lift mechanism illustrated generally at 30 for elevating balls from the track to a ball storage rack as at 31. The power lift mechanism 30 may be of the general type illustrated in the copending applica- "ire tion of Robert I. Anderson and Daniel K. Sewell, filed February 22, 1959 as Serial No. 796,017, assigned to the assignee of this application.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a ball track is provided in the form of a pair of parallel tubular rods as at 35 spaced apart by a suitable distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball such as that illustrated at 36 in order to provide a track along which the balls may roll. The track is preferably positioned between two adjacent bowling alleys as at 10 and 11 and extends forwardly from a rearmost position wherein the ends as at 35a are mounted on the kickback 27, and includes intermediate downwardly and forwardly inclined portions 35b which extend downwandly to a position beneath the level of the surface of the alleys, between the two adjacent gutters l2 and 13, from which position the track extends forwardly to a terminus as at 35c immediately beneath the ball lift mechanism 30. Intermediate the portion 35b and the terminus 350, the track includes a substantially level portion as at 35d forwardly of the portion 35b, and a slightly downwardly inclined portion 3-5e adjacent the terminus 350.

The end portions 35a of the rods 35 are preferably supported on the kickback 27 and anchored against movement thereon by suitable attachment to a bracket 37 supported on an upright post 38 in turn supported on the kickback. The intermediate portions 35b of the rods 35 are suitably secured to brackets as at 40 which are in turn supported on the kickback 27. At the end of the track adjacent the ball lift mechanism 30, the terminal portions of the track are secured as by brackets 42 to a plate 4-3 which may be supported by the substructure.

Intermediate the inclined portion 35b and end portion 35c of the track, the portions 35d and 35e are supported by hanger means which enables lateral movement of the tracks as the balls roll therealong. The effects of irregularities in the balls and in the tracks which normally give rise to vibrations and considerable noise may be reduced by the limited movement permitted, which is adapted to absorb vibrations and to reduce noise. Such hanger means preferably comprises a plurality of transversely extending brackets or bars as at 4-5 at spaced intervals along the length of the track for supporting the latter. Each of the bars 45 is concavely recessed at a midportion thereof, as at 46, in order to allow free passage of the balls as they roll along the tracks, and each bar also is formed with a pair of apertures as at 47 for receiving respectively the rod members 35. During assembly, the track is preferably put together in sections and as this is done, the transverse bars 45 may be slidably positioned on the rods as desired.

Opposite ends of each of the transverse bars 45 are supported by hanger rods as at 49. The lower end of each hanger rod 49 is provided with a bent portion as at 49a adapted to be pivotally received in a suitable opening in the bar in order that the rods may pivot relative to the bar. Upper ends of the rods 49 are also bent over as at 49b in order to rest on the leveling strips 17 to thereby hang the rods 49. The end portions 4% are preferably held in place by means such as staples 50 suitably anchored in the leveling members 17. The staples are attached in a manner to permit the end portions 4% to turn on the leveling strips 17 in order to enable lateral swinging movement of the rods 49 about the axes of the end portions 49b.

In order to provide a finished appearance, the track structure, which is beneath the level of the alley surface, is preferably enclosed by a cover structure as at 55 which may be suitably supported on bridge plates as at 56 extending between the leveling strips 17. Near the rear end of the alley, adjacent the kickback 27,

suitable clearance is provided between the end of the cover 55 and the track portion 35b as at 57 in order to permit entry of the balls beneath the cover structure.

The improved ball return track described herein may be readily installed in existing alley structures where surface returns are utilized between the gutters 12 and 13, by removing the surface return and cutting intermediate portions of leveling strips 17 as indicated at 59. The improved track structure of this invention has the advantage of enabling a limited freedom of movement in the track laterally at portions thereof intermediate the opposite ends in order to absorb vibrations and reduce noise as the balls are returned to the bowlers end of the alley. Additionally, the track is readily mounted at the desired elevations simply by means of providing rods 49 of predetermined length, since these are supported from leveling strips 17 which have previously been positioned at predetermined levels. This obviates the requirement which existed in previou subway track structures of providing intricately positioned supports for the rods 35 which had to be disposed at predetermined elevations in order to eliminate deformations and irregularities in the track grade contributing to the vibrations and noise which are minimized with the present construction.

I claim:

1. In a bowling alley having a subfioor and support therefor, a subway ball return system for returning bowling balls from atop a kickback between the pits of two adjacent alleys to a ball lift mechanism at the bowlers end of the alley, comprising, a pair of parallel rods spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball to provide a track for balls to roll along, said rods having end portions atop the kickback and intermediate portions inclined downwardly to a position between the adjacent gutters of the two alleys and beneath the level of the surface of the alleys, and extending to termini adjacent the lift mechanism, means seucuring the rod end portions and intermediate portions on the kickback, means securing the termini to the alley support adjacent the lift mechanism, hanger means supporting the rods between said termini and intermediate portions for limited lateral movement as balls roll therealong including transverse bars for supporting the rods at spaced intervals and a pair of hanger rods associated with each bar, one at each side of the track, each having a turned lower end pivotal in an opening in one end of the bar about an axis parallel to the rods and a turned upper end pivotally hung on the subfioor about an axis parallel to the rods to swing laterally on the subfloor and a cover over the track between the two adjacent gutters at a level above the track greater than the diameter of a bowling ball.

2. In a bowling alley having a subfloor and a support therefor, a subway ball return system for returning bowling balls from atop a kickback at one side of the pit end of the alley to a ball lift mechanism at the bowlers end of the alley, comprising, a pair of parallel rods spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball to provide a track for balls to roll along, said rods having end portions atop the kickback and intermediate portions inclined downwardly to a position beneath the level of the surface of the alley, and extending to termini adjacent the lift mechanism, bracket means secured to the kickback and to the rod end portions and intermediate portions supporting and anchoring the latter on the kickback, bracket securing the termini to the alley support adjacent the lift mechanism, and hanger means supporting the rods between said termini and intermediate portions for limited lateral movement as balls roll therealong, including transverse bars for supporting the rods at spaced intervals, and a pair of hanger rods associated with each bar, one at each side of the track, each having a lower end pivotally connected to 4 one end of the bar and an upper end pivotally supported on the subfioor to swing laterally.

3. A subway ball return system for returning bowling balls from atop a kickback at one side of the pit end of a bowling alley to a ball lift mechanism at the bowlers end of the alley, comprising, a pair of parallel rods spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball to provide a track for balls to roll along, said rods having end portions secured atop the kick-- back and intermediate portions inclined downwardly to a position beneath the level of the surface of the alley, and extending to anchored termini adjacent the lift mechanism, and hanger means supporting the rods between said termini and intermediate portions for limited lateral movement as balls roll therealong, including transverse bars for supporting the rods at spaced intervals, and a pair of hanger rods associated with each bar, one at each side of the track, each having a lower end pivotally connected to one end of the bar and an upper end pivotally supported to swing laterally.

4. A subway ball return system for returning bowling balls from atop a kickback at one side of the pit end of a bowling alley to the bowlers end of the alley, comprising, a pair of parallel rods spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball to provide a track for balls to roll along, said rods having end portions secured atop the kickback and intermediate portions inclined downwardly to a position beneath the level of the surface of the alley, and extending to anchored termini adjacent the bowlers end of the alley, and a plurality of hanger means supporting the rods between said termini and intermediate portions for limited lateral movement as balls roll therealong, each hanger means including a transverse bar supporting the rods, and a pair of hanger rods associated with each bar, one at each side of the track, each having a lower end connected to one end of the bar and an upper end mounted to support the track.

5. A ball return system for returning bowling balls from the pit end of a bowling alley to the bowlers end of the alley, comprising, a pair of parallel track members spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball to provide a track for balls to roll along, said track members having elevated end portions anchored adjacent the pit end of the alley and lower ends anchored adjacent the bowlers end of the alley, means connected between the track members preventing lateral movement thereof relative to each other, and means supporting the track members between the ends thereof for limited lateral movement together as balls roll therealong.

6. A ball return system for returning bowling balls from the pit end of a bowling alley to the bowlers end of the alley, comprising, a pair of parallel rods spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball to provide a track for balls to roll along, said rods having elevated end portions anchored adjacent the pit end of the alley and lower ends anchored adjacent the bowlers end of the alley, and hanger means supporting the rods between the ends thereof for limited lateral movement as balls roll therealong, including transverse bars for supporting the rods at spaced intervals, and a pair of hanger rods associated with each bar, one at each side of the track, each having a lower end pivotally connected to one end of the bar and an upper end pivotally supported to swing laterally.

7. A ball return system for returning bowling balls from the pit end of a bowling alley to the bowlers end of the alley, comprising, a pair of parallel track members spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball to provide a track for balls to roll along, said track members having elevated end portions anchored adjacent the pit end of the alley and lower ends anchored adjacent the bowler-s end of the alley, means connected between the track members preventing lateral movement thereof relative to each other, and hanger means supporting the track members between the ends thereof for limited lateral movement together as balls roll therealong, each hanger means including a transverse bar supporting the track members, and a pair of hanger rods associated with each bar, one at each side' of the track, each having a lower end connected to one end of the bar and an upper end mounted to support the track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Discher Mar. 31,

Gleeson Oct. 6,

Ernst May 17,

FOREIGN PATENTS France Oct. 19,

Germany Sept. 13, 

